


Light Me (I'll Burn for You)

by Princesszellie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Blood Crow Era, M/M, Planet Hopping, fun and sun, hat!, jumping around the timeline again, maybe not fun exactly, silly boys doing weird things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29853114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princesszellie/pseuds/Princesszellie
Summary: Let loose on new planet filled with new faces and places to explore, Eli Vanto is ready to enjoy all the sun and ‘fun’ he can find. Lieutenant Thrawn is maybe not so enthused about the prospects presenting themselves planet side, including Eli's larking. Sometimes it happens that the ‘spice of life’ might be too much for some beings and the sun isn't the only thing that burns.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Light Me (I'll Burn for You)

This was a warm planet; very sunny, very dry and already it displeased Thrawn. He had been on many different types of worlds varying in culture and climate but he had never been overly fond of the desert types. The beating sun and the cold adapted skin of the Chiss did not agree.

Frowning under the ridiculous wide brimmed hat Ensign Vanto insisted he wear to protect said delicate blue skin, Lieutenant Thrawn followed along behind Eli as he meandered in between people, droids and the occasional animal. Thrawn wasn’t wild about those either.

Eli moved with the ease of someone who had also seen his fair share of worlds and their attendant markets, and was much more comfortable amongst them then an alien who was getting stares even hiding under a hat.

He was enjoying the sun and the warmth. After months and months in cold space in an artificial climate it was nice to have solid ground beneath his feet and natural light on his face. Eli had given Thrawn his favorite non regulation issued hat- for disguise and UV protection- and partially so he could unabashedly soak in the sun rays on his face. Eli came from a warm planet- maybe not as warm as this one, but it didn’t matter to him, it still felt like home.

Thrawn admired Eli’s easy grace in this situation. He was too much a soldier to allow his guard to drop to the level the human had let himself. It certainly helped Eli’s species was principle on this world, and his pretty face and friendly smile made him unthreatening. Thrawn did not have any of those benefits at the moment so he was forced to hide under the hideous hat and as Eli had accused him to ‘pout’.

They had been sent to do recon because no one else on the _Blood Crow_ wanted to set foot on such a back water world. It also helped both he and Thrawn spoke several common trade languages. But Eli didn’t see it as punishment- this was just fun! All the feel and smells of home, new faces and places to see, and of course the _sun._ This was the best day he had in ages; even with his boat anchor in tow. He was decidedly ignoring Thrawn’s wet blanket presence and allowing himself some freedom, knowing he could get away with it _because_ Thrawn was there. Eli was perfectly safe, practically had a bodyguard, and even though said guard outranked Eli there was no fear of suffering punishment for letting himself unwind this much.

Thrawn on the other hand saw plenty of reasons to keep on their toes. Their presence as outsiders had not gone unnoticed and there was at least one tail on them even now. Of course Eli was oblivious to all the threats around him; Thrawn just couldn’t tell if it was intentional or situational.

Eli stopped to admire some interesting fruit and the older lady stall keeper came over to chat. He flashed his brilliant Wild Space son smile again and the information just flowed out. Who could resist the whole package? Thrawn was finding it hard to. He had never seen Eli in his own ‘element’; it was glorious. For once his accent and appearance didn’t seem out of place and it was perfectly possible for Thrawn to imagine young Eli Vanto hoping cargo at the edge of the Unknown and interacting with locals very much like he was now.

Laughing at something his new friend said Eli tossed his hair out of his eyes with a flip of his head. It was a carefree gesture and one Thrawn had never seen- his heart and his stomach clenched at the same time causing him a moment of breathlessness he couldn’t explain but was very much Eli Vanto’s fault.

Eli wasn’t _so_ tuned out of his surroundings as to miss feeling Thrawn’s eyes on him. Still smiling and thanking the woman for her help he glanced at over his shoulder at him just to make sure it wasn’t because Thrawn was communicating a danger. Instead he found the normally veiled red eyes wide and a look of rapture obvious even under the shade cast by the hat obscuring the rest of Thrawn’s face.

Giving the lieutenant a puzzled look Eli was unable to commit anymore thought to it as something was being pressed into his hand by the fruit selling lady. Thrawn struggled to regain control of his face (and the rest of his suddenly rebellious body) as Eli and the woman, who was clearly gifting him something, good-naturedly argued about it.

Of course Eli’s pretty face would win him plenty of admirers in a place like this, and clearly Thrawn wasn’t immune to it either as he had already silently chased off one potential ‘threat’ earlier in their adventure by making it clear Eli was his property. The firm grip on Eli’s elbow had been interpreted as directional guidance by the human but had conveyed the appropriate ownership status to the menace.

Eli lost his argument, bowed graciously in thanks multiple times as was the custom here and stepped away expecting his tall blue shadow to follow. Which of course it did obediently. Eli walked a few stalls down then stepped out of traffic to the shady side of a building. He had something cradled carefully in his hands.

Thrawn moved gratefully out of the beating sun and stood close to Eli, “What did she give you Ensign?”

“I’m not entirely sure…” Eli looked into the shallow dish she had insisted he take, “Looks like food.”

They both leaned down to look closer, the brim of the hat ruffling Eli’s hair and causing Thrawn to realize how close they were.

“It smells good.” Eli grinned.

“Are you going to eat it?” Thrawn’s voice carried a slight tone of incredulity.

“Yeah why not?” Eli broke off a piece which was a mysterious texture. He wondered if it was a piece of the fruit he had asked about. It had clearly been cooked in something, the smell really was delightful and it was still warm. “Trust me, I’ve eaten worse.”

With that glowing endorsement Eli popped the piece into his mouth and much to Thrawn’s infinite surprise didn’t instantly drop dead. He waited to be sure, but nothing bad happened. It wasn’t exactly disappointment he was feeling, but Thrawn almost wanted Eli’s new found superiority to take a hit. It would have been amusing.

Instead Eli offered him a piece. “Here, it’s really good. Try it.”

The morsel was offered from Eli’s own hand which made turning it down harder for Thrawn. He did not want to seem weak or to insult, so with some misgiving he gently took the offering from between Eli’s fingers and ate it.

The texture was a little odd, a bit too chewy for Thrawn’s personal preference. He was just contemplating what could possibly cause it to have a slight crunch when it hit him. Whatever spices the foodstuff had been cooked in were _strong_. Too strong. It was like biting down on and swallowing a lit match. _Krayt spit!_

Thrawn began to cough violently, his face going a shade of purple Eli had never seen before. Horrified the human watched as the other being doubled over.

“Hey now, you okay?” Eli asked, “Are you choking? What’s wrong with you?” Thrawn didn’t answer him so Eli gave him a-none-too gentle slap between the shoulders just in case he _was_ choking.

Thrawn took a couple shaky breaths and looked up at Eli- an unusual perspective for him. Eli’s eyes were wide with concern and confusion. It took several seconds for him to find his voice again, and when he did it sounded strained even to him.

“I can’t stand spicy food.”

Eli stared harder, the gravel in Thrawn’s usually oil smooth voice catching him off guard and making his stomach flutter. “Ugh, okay….”

Thrawn straightened up still holding an arm around his middle, preparing for another round of suffering. He briefly considered throwing up the offending food but the thought of it still being as hot a second time round prevented this action. “Chiss food does not contain elements that cause such…burning.” He wrinkled his nose in literal distaste. “It caught me by surprise.”

“I see that,” Eli laughed, “I thought you were going to pass out on me.”

Thrawn hadn’t been sure either; it had been a near run thing. His face was becoming less purple which Eli assumed was a sign he wasn’t dying. The Chiss’ red eyes were still watering and a tear ran down his cheek.

“You gonna be okay?” Eli asked, gently reaching up and brushing the droplet off Thrawn’s cheek. The gesture was reflexive and meant to comfort but it surprised both of them. The purplish color returned to Thrawn’s face and Eli felt his own warm too.

“I believe so. Please don’t make me eat something like that again.”

Eli smiled, “I promise I won’t. I didn’t know…although I hate to break it to you but it wasn’t _that_ hot.”

Thrawn’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He encircled his fingers around Eli’s wrist deftly and removed the human’s hand from his face. He gave the delicate little bones beneath his fingers a carefully calculated squeeze. Eli’s eyes flared and he grinned, which was the opposite effect Thrawn was going for- but it was interesting.

“It wasn’t….” Eli chuckled, “Just sayin’.” He could feel Thrawn contemplating _something_ and waited to see if it was his death or something less permanent.

Thrawn was still bothered by the taste, the burning sensation lingering. His expression settled into continued disgust. This was certainly an undeserved punishment today- this would teach him to eat strange food on random planets. The jury was still out on whether or not he could trust Eli’s food judgement calls in the future.

“Your people really don’t use spices?” Eli asked, as Thrawn’s frown continued to deepen.

“Not like that, food is meant to be enjoyed not kill you.”

Eli couldn’t stop the laugh that broke out of him. It was hard to tell when Thrawn was joking, and the fact he likely wasn’t right now made his choice of words even funnier. This aversion to spicy food was an interesting weakness in the otherwise seemingly impenetrable Chiss armor. Who would have guessed?

“I’m sorry it’s upset you so much, maybe we can find some water or something.”

Thrawn sighed the long suffering sigh of someone dying a slow death. “I am fine. Let us just carry on with our business.” He had enough of this planet.

“Alright. Whatever you want,” Eli kept this round of chuckles at Thrawn’s expense to himself. He couldn’t hide the smile though. “So I think you’re would be assassin gave me a good lead.”

“Delightful.” Thrawn grumbled.

“She also mentioned a considerably sized scrap yard on the edge of town,” Eli continued, waiting for and being rewarded with a visual perk up of Thrawn’s whole demeanor. “She said they have all kinds of interesting junk from the war.”

He popped the rest of the much maligned snack into his mouth, chewing triumphantly at Thrawn’s mix of disgust at his action and barely veiled excitement at the prospect of digging around piles of dusty old ship parts.

“I believe we have enough time to check that out.” Thrawn smiled.

“Anything you say Lieutenant,” Eli smiled too, “I’m just the translator.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. hahah. My mind is a weird place currently. Enjoy. 
> 
> It's Thrawn's turn to suffer this time. It's only fair to share the love. Eli has to mark his 'wins' where he can. lol.
> 
> I am enjoying writing them in different parts of the time line so that their relationship can change, I for sure like the 'early years' noticing and pining and lusting.....its fun.


End file.
